Q & A: Maureen Crawford Hentz on Interviewing & the X-Factor

Maureen Crawford Hentz is a nationally-recognized expert on recruiting and job searching.  Currently leading talent acquisition operations for a major US company, she has also worked on the other side of the fence as a college director of career services.  She refers to herself as an “unrepentant recruiting and job searching dork.”

We sat down with her and asked her to talk to us about interviewing.

 How does a candidate get your attention?

I like a candidate who is personable during the interview. Don’t be so stiff and formal that I can’t engage with you. I like to hear you laugh during a phone interview. “I like to hear, ‘ Hi, I was thinking about the interview last night, I want to make sure I share with you…’ then I can see your sense of humor.

Your phone interview is the most important thing you do all day, my phone interview with you might be the 16th one I’ve had all day.  Think about yourself in the context of what the recruiter is doing for the rest of the day. Think about it like Halloween and Trick or Treating. The kid who comes to the door and is in a homemade Martian costume when everyone else is dressed as Buzz Light Year is the one you want to be. He gets extra candy and he gets talked about.  

Differentiate yourself with a memorable story or some sort of glimpse of your personality.  Say to yourself in advance, “How is my interview going to be different if they are asking many people the same question?” One way to do this in a job interview is to bring a portfolio of your work.  “I brought you a portfolio, want to see it?” Let me look at it, and ask you questions about what I’m interested in. Don’t narrate it and say, please turn to page 90.

 Send a thank you immediately, and be specific about the job—and what we talked about.

Any bad assumption that you’ve seen job seekers make in applying for jobs with you?

Being qualified for the job is not the same as being able to get the job. Don’t look at yourself and say, “I’m qualified for the job, that speaks for itself.” If it is a dead heat in the applicant pool, companies hire the candidate who brings the x-factor to the interview. The X-factor is engaging in the interview, being curious about what the work is.

For example my company hires people to work in power electronics.  We want to know you are passionate about it.  We want Power Electronic Engineers who are career engineers, not just someone looking for a job. We want you to be engaged in your career, because we’re going to be engaged in your career for as long as you are with us. We need to see your own level of engagement in your professional development, so we can see where we can be engaged in it.

I want to hire the dorkiest people, the people who are the most into their jobs. I want the person who reads the journals, who asks me if we will pay for professional conferences. I want to send you to a conference. I want you to ask, “Are there industry journals available? Is there a program that will help me make my skills better?” It’s not that I don’t want you to play soccer at lunch, I do…I just want to also know that you care about the work and your own professional development.

Here’s a great question, “How do you grow people into this job? And how do you prepare people for the next job?” It’s a useful question for the candidate, because they get to learn about our internal environment as well—you get to see what skills are most valuable to the company. You learn the company culture in a way that people might not even be able to articulate.

What makes a great candidate?

One thing that I’ve seen candidates do occasionally really well is to refer candidates. If you know that a company is hiring for multiple positions, refer your friends—even after you’ve interviewed. Let me know you’ve sent your friends. It exudes confidence and it makes you a value added candidate. It shows you are already working for the company before you are hired. That is really, really impressive.

Do you have any “never do” tips for individuals in working with recruiters?

Don’t send a recruiter an invite to connect on a social network. You are playing baseball with a golf club. Linking up is not the same as networking. Know the difference.

It is not 1986, so don’t call me to follow up.  It doesn’t look good for you when you call after three days to ask about your application.

Are there any questions I haven’t asked that I should be asking? What’s the question, and what’s your answer?

That’s the question candidates should be asking, and that’s my answer to your question. It allows the recruiter to say what’s on their mind, and it turns the table from you being screened to you being wooed, because whatever I tell you gives you extra insight into our company.

Use it now—actionable—advice for job seekers

Apply for the job as soon as you see it. When I first post a job, I’m very focused on it.  It’s top of mind.  Because it’s top of mind, the candidates who apply early are top of mind too.  We never say “hey, let’s sit on these early awesome applicants in case someone better comes along.” 

Keep your applications fresh— don’t let them expire.  If you’re interested in a company, update your profile every month or so.  After about 30 days, I assume that a hot candidate has already gotten a job.